Glory

Qi Ji nodded in agreement with Lu Guanyi's perspective.

Yet he couldn't help feeling curious: "Why do you think this Miss Ye possesses such capabilities?"

Among the noble families of the capital, there were indeed individuals who displayed remarkable cunning at a young age, but those were all forged through years of covert struggles within household intrigues.

Take Lu Guanyi himself—he was only seventeen this year, merely two years older than that Third Miss Ye. His intellect and methods were such that even the Crown Prince admired them.

Although the Crown Prince was related to Lu Guanyi, the noble families in the capital were intricately connected—which family couldn't claim some relation to the imperial household?

The reason Lu Guanyi had caught the Crown Prince's eye was simply his innate cleverness. From the age of six, during his limited interactions with the Crown Prince, he had left a deep impression, leading the Crown Prince to take him under his wing and cultivate him as a future ally.

Without the Crown Prince's protection, after Lu Guanyi's grandfather passed away, he would have long fallen victim to his ruthless and cunning stepmother—how could he have survived until now?

In contrast, Ye Yaming came from the Ye family, whose family values they had thoroughly investigated before cooperation—it was truly a most upright and harmonious household. From such a family, someone like Ye Yaqing would be the expected outcome; someone like Ye Yaming seemed rather peculiar.

Lu Guanyi said, "Some people are naturally gifted—they cannot be measured by ordinary standards."

Qi Ji nodded.

"And these two matters Miss Ye mentioned..." he inquired.

"Let's wait and see for now," Lu Guanyi replied. "Since she hasn't asked for our help, we shouldn't investigate. This is basic respect for the Ye family."

"Alright," Qi Ji said. "But since Miss Ye asked me to subtly influence my father, I'll go back later and speak ill of the Yang family to him."

...

At the Ye residence, after seeing off Lu Guanyi and Qi Ji, Ye Chongming asked Ye Yaming, "What should we do now?"

"Let Da Bo take action," Ye Yaming said. "When you return home later, tell the family that on the sixteenth, you'll take me up the mountain to the Tea Garden."

Ye Chongming and Ye Hongchang weren't completely incompetent. The Yang family, being their competitors and utterly unscrupulous, had long been guarded against by the Ye family. Over the past two years, the Ye family had planted their own agents within the Yang household.

Now, to take down the Yang family, these agents could serve as witnesses testifying that Yang Chuzhi was Yang Hong's son.

As for the Meng family, Ye Yaming would have preferred to resolve matters quickly, but the ancients placed great importance on festivals. Going up the mountain before the Lantern Festival would make the news less credible, so they had to wait until the sixteenth.

These two days would also allow the Yang family affair to erupt properly.

"Good, I'll have your Da Bo set things in motion immediately," Ye Chongming said.

Thus, that very afternoon, Ma Dafu went to the magistrate's office to beat the drum and file a grievance, accusing the Yang family of plotting against his daughter and son's lives, and further charging them with deceiving the emperor by having their son pose as a servant's child to take the imperial examinations.

The public was in an uproar.

"Why is Ma Dafu filing a lawsuit? Didn't he become a monk?"

"Who said he became a monk? Can't you see he has hair? And he's still wearing Yang family servant clothes—was he hiding in the Yang household? But his hair is completely white, and he's only in his early forties, right?"

"Ah, is that the main point? The important thing is that the Yang family actually made their son pretend to be a servant's child!""Yes, yes, this Yang Hong is really something, actually coming up with such a scheme. If it weren't for Ma Dafu, once his son passes the Presented Scholar exams and becomes an official, wouldn't the Yang family rise to prominence?"

"Good heavens, this is the crime of deceiving the emperor!"

"Hey, hey, stop arguing, all of you. I can't hear what the officials inside are saying."

The crowd gathered outside the yamen quieted down for a moment. Soon, they heard an uproar inside, and those on the periphery quickly asked, "What happened? What happened? What did they find out during the trial?"

"Ma Dafu produced an account book recording all the amounts Yang Hong used to bribe various officials."

"No wonder the Yang family got away with so many unscrupulous deeds—even when people accused them, nothing came of it. So the officials were all bribed by him."

A young man glanced around and whispered, "I wonder if Lord Qi's name is in that account book. If it is... hehehe."

An old man beside him slapped him on the head and scolded angrily, "Are you trying to get yourself killed? Come on, come with me quickly. Let's see if your father doesn't beat you with a big stick when you get home."

"Hey, hey, Uncle Qin, don't drag me! I won't say anything more, alright?"

...

Inside the yamen, Qi Zhipei's heart raced as he received the account book.

Although he considered himself an upright official, it was customary in official circles to accept some offerings from wealthy merchants. If he didn't accept them, the officials under him and the clerks in the yamen wouldn't dare to either, cutting off their sources of income.

Cutting off someone's financial means is like killing their parents. He would find it impossible to get anything done in the Lin'an City yamen and would eventually have to leave in disgrace.

So, he would also take a little as a gesture. Moreover, no one accepted such things in their own name. His share was collected by Master Wu on his behalf.

Steadying his nerves, he opened the account book and found that the first name listed was the former prefect, with a rather large amount of bribes recorded.

The second was the current assistant prefect.

This assistant prefect had held his position since the former prefect's term and had remained in office without being transferred.

Seeing this, Qi Zhipei grew increasingly uneasy.

But he quickly flipped through the account book and found that his name was not listed, which made him heave a huge sigh of relief.

He slammed the gavel and said, "Bring the defendant Yang Hong here."

...

Since Ma Dafu, the victim, was handling the matter, the Ye family naturally did not go to watch. However, the developments in the yamen were promptly reported to the third floor of Jixiang Hall by servants.

Ye Chongming and his son Ye Hongchang were both present.

Ye Yaming had said she would not involve herself in this matter and truly paid no attention to it, staying at home instead.

Upon hearing that Ma Dafu had presented an account book, Ye Chongming was startled and asked, "Did Ma Dafu obtain this account book?"

Ye Hongchang shook his head, leaned closer to his father, and lowered his voice. "I don't know how Ming'er got it. But don't worry, she had someone tear out the page with Lord Qi's name."

Father and son exchanged a glance, their expressions complex.

They had thought Ye Yaming's plan to have Ma Dafu accuse Yang Hong of the crime of deceiving the emperor was ruthless enough, but they hadn't expected an even more ruthless move here.

This account book of Yang Hong's not only sealed his own fate but also implicated a group of officials. If the bribes these officials accepted were not too large, they might at most be demoted but would not lose their positions or their lives.

However, with such a stain on their records, their careers were ruined. How could they possibly spare the Yang family, who had brought this upon them?Whether Yang An is truly Yang Hong's son remains uncertain. Even with witnesses, Yang Hong could retaliate by claiming they were bribed. With officials shielding him, the Yang family would likely settle the lawsuit by merely paying a sum of money.

But with this ledger in hand, not a single member of the Yang family, from top to bottom, will escape justice.